Podcast: Mark Your Calendars for Feb. 20th!

This week, learn about our featured opportunities in Charlotte and more information about our upcoming Career Fair at the Westin Hotel on February 20th.



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Hourly Employees are Optimistic, Satisfied, and Loyal

Hourly workers are optimistic that they could find a new job, but most are satisfied with their current job and are surprisingly loyal to their employer, according to The Employment Guide® Hourly Employee Survey published by Dominion Enterprises. The findings are part of a national survey conducted in November that will form the basis of a new quarterly index on hourly workforce trends.

"Most of us assume that people would change jobs simply for higher wages, but our survey found that, while money is a key factor, hourly workers really don't want to 'job hop,'" said Jeff Littlejohn, Vice President and General Manager, The Employment Guide and EmploymentGuide.com.

"In fact, more than three quarters of the people we spoke with said they would like to stay with a single employer for most of their career," said Littlejohn. "Also, the great majority indicated that they feel a sense of loyalty to their employer that is much, much stronger than we expected."

Only 28 percent of hourly workers agreed with the statement "I generally do not feel an overwhelming sense of loyalty to any given employer," while a significant majority, 72 percent, disagreed.

The Employment Guide Hourly Employee Survey also provided the following data on satisfaction, optimism, loyalty and tenure:

-- 78 percent of hourly workers are generally satisfied with their current job. At the same time, 78 percent indicated that they are optimistic about easily being able to find a new job.

-- More than three-quarters of hourly employees have had only one or two employers in the last three years; 61 percent have had no more than three employers in the past 10 years.

-- Despite being optimistic that they could find a new job, most hourly employees are staying put. Nearly three-quarters or 72 percent said they are not seeking new employment opportunities.

"These are interesting findings for employers," said Sharon Sewell, Senior Director of Marketing Communications with the National Association of Workforce Board (NAWB), Arlington, Va. "In a nutshell, the study suggests the hourly workforce in the United States is interested in employment that stretches out over a period of years and that these job seekers are inclined to be exceptionally loyal to the right employer."

Hourly Wage Discrepancy

The recent survey uncovered a larger-than-expected differential between the wages of men and women in occupations that pay by the hour. These fields include clerical/office administration, customer service, sales, healthcare/nursing, retail, computers/IT, factory & warehouse, hotel/motel/resort, telecommunications, restaurant, construction/skilled trades, transportation, protective services and law enforcement.

The average wage for the women surveyed was $11.74 per hour versus $16.99 per hour for men, suggesting that women make 55.3 percent that of men when looking at a broad range of different hourly positions including both skilled and unskilled jobs. According to 2004 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median usual weekly earnings of women are 80.4 percent that of men for full-time wage and salary workers.

Professor Christopher B. Colburn, Ph. D, Chair of the Economics Department of Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., who reviewed the data, offered the following explanation, "The Bureau of Labor Statistics data includes salaried professions where there is greater parity in compensation among men and women. In hourly fields, by comparison, men are likely to earn more per hour on average because they are often in occupations where they may be compensated for physical risk -- with high-paying construction jobs being a prime example. Also, men are, in general, in the workforce longer and thus paid more while women's careers are more likely to be interrupted for family reasons. Lastly, women place a greater emphasis on non-monetary benefits such as flexible hours and day care, which would also explain lower hourly wages."

Men also required more money to change jobs in hourly fields, expecting a 30 percent pay increase to make a move versus 24 percent for women.
Seniors Especially Good Employees

According to the survey, workers aged 55 years or older make particularly loyal employees:

-- 50 percent do not believe it is necessary to change jobs for better pay and advancement opportunities versus 37 percent for all hourly workers

-- 77 percent feel loyalty toward their employer

-- only 50 percent are driven by pay/benefits (versus 80 percent of 18-24 year olds, 77 percent of 25-34 years olds, 70 percent of 35-44 year olds and 68 percent of 45-54 year olds)

"Older workers make up a significant portion of the nation's hourly workforce," said Jim Seith, Director, National Programs, AARP Foundation, "As Boomers age, recruiters are likely to hire more and more seasoned workers. And this age data reinforces the facts: older workers are more loyal, not as driven by pay, and more willing to be paid on an hourly basis."

New Hourly Employment Index Planned

The 19-question telephone survey of 500 hourly workers was conducted nationwide in November 2006. The survey sample matched population data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the results have a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.
The Employment Guide Hourly Employee Survey published by Dominion Enterprises will be conducted every quarter. The results will form the basis for an index that tracks hourly workforce trends in the United States.

"Through The Employment Guide's portfolio, which includes a web presence, print titles and job fairs, we have unique insights into the hourly segment of the overall workforce," said Dominion Enterprises Chief Executive Officer Conrad M. Hall. "While there are numerous studies on salaried workers, we see an opportunity to offer more data for hourly recruiters and job seekers. By combining our data with quarterly national surveys, we expect our hourly employment index, as it evolves, to become an important new metric."

Additional details from the survey -- including pie charts and bar charts of key findings -- can be found at both www.employmentguide.com and www.dominionenterprises.com.

NCJobs Podcast - 1/22

Listen to our podcast this week to learn about our featured opportunities and more information about our Diversity Job Fair in February.


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Make Plans to Attend Our Winter Diversity Job Fair - Feb. 20th

Never been to a Job Fair? Watch our video and see what to expect!



Our Winter Diversity Job Fair is on February 20th from 10am - 2pm at the Westin Hotel 601 S. College, in Uptown Charlotte. Make plans now to participate!

Job Fairs are a great way to meet face-to-face with 50+ recruiters. We'll also be giving away a laptop computer to one lucky job seeker. Here is a list of featured employers at this event:

AAA
Adecco
Aflac
America's Driving Academy
Autism Services
Barden Circulation
CPI Security
Lending Tree
McDonald's
Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office
New Horizons
Petro Express
Schneider
Schwan's
Signature Solutions
Strayer University
SunCom
Time Warner
Transtech
United American Insurance
...and more!


For more information, read our tips on how to make the most of a job fair.

NC Jobs Podcast - 1/15

Listen to this week's podcast to learn about our featured employers and the latest information on our upcoming Career Fair.


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7 Secrets of Writing an Online Resume

With the outbreak of security issues when it comes to personal information being online, as well as the increased use of online job boards, many job seekers may be wondering how to post their resume and information for employers to find without compromising their privacy.


Well, we found a helpful article on JobSearchSecrets.net written by Matthew Keegan, owner of CorporateFlyer.net, aiding corporate flight attendants by providing information and tips on finding employment in the industry. He points out that for security reasons online resume copy should be handled differently than a hard copy. Here are some of his suggestions for successfully posting a resume online while safeguarding your privacy:

1. Leave out certain personal information. Include your name, your city/state [or region, such as Greater New York], a contact phone number, and an email address. Keep in mind that your phone number can reveal more to people about you than you want. Featuring an unlisted phone number is best; give out your cell number only if you can reasonably expect an advantage in sharing that information publicly. Identity theft and sexual harassment are growing problems; take care that your resume encourages neither.



2. Your photograph. This is optional and not nearly as commonplace in the U.S. as it is in Europe. Still, in some fields it has become a necessity. Make sure you are photographed wearing appropriate business attire. Your picture should be cropped and in most cases be a headshot only. A JPG or PNG extension file looks much nicer than a GIF.



3. State your objective. A one sentence statement outlining what type of position you are desiring is best.



4. Work experience. Okay, now for a dilemma. Do you really want to list information about an employer online? Instead of mentioning companies by name and listing specific employment dates, why not consider substituting that information with general details such as: "Seven Year Position as a Restaurant Manager for an Exclusive Sicilian Restaurant in Manhattan." You can then follow that statement up with the usual "duties and accomplishments."
   


5. Education. List all pertinent information with or without dates. Any training that is related to the position you are seeking warrants a mention.



6. References. Only list "furnished upon request." Better yet: leave that line out as it is a "given."



7. Layout and Display. Your online copy should also feature: a border, an attractive background, a decent font [Arial or Times New Roman], font size should be 12 pt., your name should be listed in bold, and hyperlinks must be active [especially for your email address]. Incorporate "Flash" if you desire.

Remember, what you post on a resume, online or hard copy, will be quickly scanned by a hiring authority. They will decide whether or not to contact you based upon what they will read in the first ten to fifteen seconds. If you'd like more tips on how to write a resume, please see our previous post: Finding the Perfect Job: Right Resume.

NCJobs Podcast - 1/8

Listen to this week's podcast to hear our featured employers' opportunities as well as information on our upcoming job fairs.


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Employmentguide.com named one of the 30 Best Job Boards by Weddles.com

Weddle's 2006 User's Choice Awards

Which job boards are best? It’s a perennial question, but also an odd one. It’s often asked and just as often ignored. We all want to maximize the return on our investment of time, effort and money online, so we are always on the look out for top employment sites. At the same time, however, we all live in the real world where CFO deal-making and inadequate time and resources force us to use the same sites over and over again.

Best practices can and do get trumped by the real world. It happens all the time … unless you have a legitimate alternative that will stand up to the misapplied economics of the CFO and to the time constraints that limit our ability to be good consumers. Providing such an alternative is what the annual WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Awards are all about.

Each year, we invite those who are most expert in job board performance—the corporate and third party recruiters and job seekers who use them—to vote for the best sites on the Web. This year’s poll is our fourth, and it set a record for participation; almost 50,000 people cast their ballots during the year. We select the 30 sites with the most votes and recognize them for what they are: your winners.

This year’s results offer an intriguing perspective on the health and diversity of the online employment services industry. Among the 2006 User’s Choice Awards winners:

• Almost a third—a total of nine sites—are making their first appearance on this year’s list;


• Two-thirds are niche or specialty sites providing recruiting support in a specific career field, industry, location or affinity group (e.g., veterans, diversity candidates);


• One-third are general purpose sites providing recruiting support in a wide range of professions, crafts and trades, industries and geographic locations; and


• The entire group collectively presents a revealing cross-section of the key organizations and trends in online recruiting today. For example, just one site is operated by a professional association, two specialize in entry level employment for college graduates, three sites serve executives and senior level professionals, three are actually networks of sites providing access to a broader range of talent, six are totally or partially owned by or have established partnerships with newspapers, and eight either operate other job boards or are owned by organizations that do.

Are there other good job boards out there on the Web? Of course. What distinguishes this group, however, is that actual users have taken the time to express their support for them. There’s no higher compliment a job board can receive, which is why these sites deserve to be known as the elite of the online employment services industry in 2006.

To read more please visit: Weddle's User's Choice Awards. To cast your vote for the 2007 winners, please click here or visit the Online Poll area of Weddles.com.

Thank you for your votes!

NCJobs Podcast - 1/2

Listen to this week's podcast to hear our featured employers and the latest news in online recruiting. To read the articles discussed in our podcast this week please visit MediaPost's article Online Job Ad Revenue Surpasses Print or visit Joel Cheesman's summary of this report.



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